“What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” Haruki Murakami

Mantra for marathon runners: pain is inevitable – unavoidable reality; suffering is optional - up to the runner himself.

The author is writer by profession. And as he has been into running for a long time, he has written down his thoughts about running. Quite a different approach to running compared to Christopher McDougall. 

Running long distances, one has a lot of time to think and ponder a thousand thoughts. Or at least this is the case for me. So it was interesting to read what another co-runner is thinking. So I captured some thoughts that caught my attention. 

To keep on going you need to keep up the rhythm, especially with long-term projects. The author shares that he stops every day right at the point where he feels he can write more and the next day’s work goes smoothly. Once you set the pace, the rest will follow. The same applies to running – you should run up to the point when you still feel good and want to return to track the next time.

As he first started running he couldn’t run long distances, he simply got tired. But as he continued to run, his body started to accept the fact that he was running and he could gradually increase the distance. This works as long as the main thing is not the speed or distance, but rather simply running every day without taking a break. The author suggests that you never take 2 days off in a row. Muscles are like animals – they want to take it as easy as possible. So when they are not pressured, they cancel out all the hard work you had previously done and you need to repeat the whole journey from the very beginning.

Running is like a lifeline, so don’t quit just because you are busy. If you use busy as an excuse not to run, you’ll never run again. For most there are only a few reasons to run and a truckload of them to quit. Keep the few reasons nicely polished.

I run; therefore I am. 

“What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” Haruki Murakami (2008)